About North Dakota
North Dakota was carved out of the Dakota Territories on November 2, 1889, on the same day as its neighboring state South Dakota. However it is unknown which one was signed into statehood first because President Benjamin Harrison did not want to show favoritism and opted to shuffle the statehood papers as to not choose one over the other. The actual order was never recorded, but North Dakota is known as the 39th state because it is listed alphabetically above South Dakota.
The term Dakota was derived from the Lakota word for friend, and North Dakota's friendliness has attracted its fair share of visitors. The state's landscape was explored by Lewis and Clark in 1803 as part of their famed expedition through the territory acquired in the Louisiana Purchase. President Theodore 'Teddy' Roosevelt used his experiences in the Badlands of North Dakota to inspire his views on land conservation. Stretching from the Badlands to the Red River Valley, the state's diverse climate and landscape give rise to hundreds of communities that value the land and work hard to preserve it.
Today, the state is home to more wildlife refuges than any other in the nation, including the Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, which is home to 400,000 to 500,000 snow geese, and the Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge, whose two islands support 30,000 nesting White Pelicans making it the largest colony of this bird in the nation. These and other natural resources make North Dakota a world-class destination for outdoor recreation enthusiasts.
North Dakota is characterized by not only its wilderness, but its potential. Often deemed the 'Saudi Arabia of Wind,' the state holds the largest wind energy resource than any other, with an estimated capacity of 1.2 billion kilowatt hours. Along with the potential for wind energy, North Dakota's vast energy portfolio includes ethanol, biodiesel, biomass, coal, natural gas, and the largest reserve of oil that the U.S. Geological Survey has ever found in the continental United States. Senator Dorgan conceived of the Great Plains Energy Corridor to help North Dakota's energy sectors work together to capitalize on the state's resources and create good-paying jobs across the state.
Agriculture dominates the state's economy. North Dakota has the number one production of spring wheat, durum wheat, sunflowers, dry edible beans, canola, flaxseed, dry edible peas, honey, lentils, barley and oats. North Dakota-grown products are consumed around the world.
With one of the highest life expectancies of any state in the nation, as well as rich and diverse cultural and recreational opportunities, North Dakota is a great state to visit and live in.
